


High School in a Handbasket

by Maester_Aemon_Heterodyne



Series: The Coming of the End [3]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-31 08:38:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10895688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maester_Aemon_Heterodyne/pseuds/Maester_Aemon_Heterodyne
Summary: Buffy sends her sister off to school, and meets the new principal.The third story in the Coming of the End. Please note that the Coming of the End stories are meant to be read in order, and generally lead one to the next, so if you haven't read the previous installment(s) in the series, the following isn't likely to make a great deal of sense.





	High School in a Handbasket

"Buffy!" Dawn shouted. "Xander's here!"

"Just a moment!" shouted Buffy from the kitchen. She was still looking for her purse.  _ Where is it?  _ she thought.  _ I put it down here just a minute ago. Did it try to escape?    _ That was actually a question one should ask oneself when living on the Hellmouth.

"Come on, Buffy! The Dawster's gonna be late!" called out Xander from the entrance hall.

"I'm okay with that," Dawn retorted.

"I'm not," said Buffy.  _ There it is! Found it!  _ She picked up her purse and went for the door, where Tara, Dawn, and Xander all stood waiting for her. "Xander! You're looking unconscionably spiffy today," she remarked.

"Client meeting today. How are you?"

"Good, considering that my little sister is about to go to the school that tried to kill us all once a week for nearly three years. I can't afford to move, can't change districts, I can't afford private school, and I can't begin to prepare Dawn for what could possibly come out of there. So, peachy with a side of keen, that would be me." Other worries plagued her mind, especially where Giles was concerned, as well as Willow. It had been over a week since she and Giles had talked on the phone, and her attempts to call him again had gone unanswered. Buffy hoped he was alright, but her concern for her mentor was hard shove away. It didn't help that he'd said nothing about Willow. Buffy's best friend was away with him, across the ocean, supposedly healing with him and the group of witches that helped to defeat Willow, but hearing nothing at all for so long had done nothing to help her relax. This, on top of the news Angel had brought about the First, did not make for a happy Slayer.

"Good luck, Dawn," Tara said. "Y-you may need it."

"Probably. See you tonight!" Dawn replied. Tara hugged her, and kissed her on the forehead.

"See you soon, Tara," Buffy echoed.

"Good seeing ya," said Xander.

The departing three turned and walked out to Xander's car. "You go over those school schematics I gave you yesterday?" he asked, once they were underway.

"Yes, we did. Thank you for them by the way," Buffy said.

"No problem, Buff. That school is a death trap. Hey Dawn, you got all the escape routes memorised?"

"Yes, Xander, I do. Buffy made sure I know every entrance and exit," Dawn replied, a strong edge of exasperation in her voice. Buffy couldn't see her, but didn't need to. She could almost hear Dawn rolling her eyes.

"Oh! Before I forget, I took a look at the old school's plans and compared them to the new ones, and I saw that the principal's office is where the library used to be. Right on top of the Hellmouth," Xander said.

"So the principal's evil?" Buffy said.

"Or just in a buttload of danger. Or both. Either way," Dawn said, "he's doomed."

"The last two principals were eaten. I mean, who'd even take this job?" Xander asked, shaking his head.

"Guess we'll see," said Buffy. "Ooh, looks like we're here. You have everything, Dawn? Books, lunch, stakes?"

"Yes, Buffy. I checked them thrice." Dawn picked up her pack, and the two sisters made to up out of the car.

"Did you give her the you-know-what?" Xander asked Buffy as she opened the door.

"Almost forgot! Thank you for reminding me." Buffy opened up her purse, and rifled through it.  _ Aha! There it is.  _ "Dawn, this is for you," she said, handing the small box she'd withdrawn from her purse to her sister. It was a gift she'd thought long and hard about, and decided necessary. She and Xander had made the purchase together the week before.

"Cool!" Dawn exclaimed. "Is it a weapon?"

"Yes, it is," Buffy said. Truthfully, not a proper weapon, but one far mightier than the sword. "Open it." Dawn did, and gave a squeal of excitement.

"A phone?" she squeaked, wrapping her arms around her sister. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you-"

"Yes I get it! Now, you need to get to class."

"Alright girls, this is where I must go. See you two at the Box?" interjected Xander. Both sisters nodded, and Xander drove away.

The two girls turned, and walked towards the school. At the arch before the main courtyard, Buffy left Dawn to find her classes. She would have proceeded further, but Dawn had protested so fiercely she'd resigned to leaving her at the gate. She lingered after Dawn left, lost in thought. Xander had said it well: the school was a death trap, and Buffy had no way to get Dawn out of it. Buffy had to trust that Dawn wouldn't put herself in too much danger, which given her little sister's track record was serious concern and not something that Buffy wanted - or intended - to leave to fate. Maybe she could get a job at the school. Janitor or something. As she was considering her options, someone interrupted her.

"Hard to let them go, isn't it?" asked a voice from behind her. Startled, she spun around, ready to fight or run, but found a tall, pleasant-looking young man in a sharp suit standing behind her. When she said nothing, he spoke again. "I'm the Principal, Robin Wood," he said, extending his hand out to Buffy. She shook it.

"Buffy. Summers," she said. "Say, aren't you a little young to be a Principal?"

"No one else wanted the job," he said, the edges of his mouth curling slightly. That wasn't any surprise. Dawn was probably right: the principal was probably  _ in  _ danger, rather than  _ the  _ danger. At least he couldn't be any less prepared than Flutie had been. "Aren't you a little young yourself to have a growed-up kid?"

"Kid? Like, as in, child? Oh, uh, no, my sister."

"Ah. Dawn, is it?" How did he know that?

Buffy nodded, now on edge as well as on guard, but tried her best to act normal. "You didn't really think... it's my hair isn't it? I have mom hair." Would that work? She'd always been terrible at undercover.

"Not at all.," he said, giving a decidedly odd smile. "Actually, I've heard of you, Miss Summers. You graduated from the old high school, right?"

"Um, yeah... how did you-"

"Nice meeting you. I should get back to work though. Plenty of young minds ripe for the deadening. You have a good day." With that, Principal Wood strode off.  _ Well,  _ thought Buffy,  _ if that wasn't the most suspicious thing I've seen in a good long time.  _ This principal was obviously up to something, though with any luck nothing supernatural. So she hoped. One can always hope.


End file.
